port academy cuttings 09.16

Media cuttings folder May 2016 - September 2016

www.polarismedia.co.uk

Johnnie Walker PRPropeller Club Maritime Executive Marine Link Maritime Professional Bootle ChampionMersey Maritime Liverpool Chamber online Liverpool Echo online Liverpool Echo

Port Academy Liverpool Launch Day PRBdaily Liverpool Echo Liverpool Echo Bootle Champion Insider North West Business Desk North West Maritime Executive Maritime Reporter Propeller Club Seafarers UK Boating Business IHS Fairplay International BBC News time line ITV News Granada

Business Desk Liverpool City Region round-table discussionLiverpool City Region Report online 15-page PDF Liverpool City Region Report

Port Academy LiverpoolMedia Cuttings Folder May 2016 - September 2016


Publication: Propeller ClubDate: 24th May 2016


Publication: Maritime ExecutiveDate: 25th May 2016


Publication: Marine LinkDate: 25th May 2016


Publication: Maritime ProfessionalDate: 25th May 2016


Publication: Bootle ChampionDate: May 2016


Publication: Mersey MaritimeDate: 27th May 2016


Publication: Liverpool Chamber onlineDate: 27th May 2016


Publication: Liverpool Echo onlineDate: 12th June 2016


Publication: Liverpool Echo (print)Date: 14th June 2016


Publication: BdailyDate: 23rd June 2016


Publication: Liverpool Echo (online)Date: 23rd June 2016


Publication: Liverpool Echo (print)Date:24th June 2016


Publication: Bootle ChampionDate: June 2016


Publication: Insider North WestDate: 24th June 2016


Publication: Business Desk North WestDate: 24th June 2016


Publication: Maritime ExecutiveDate: 28th June 2016


Publication: Marine LinkDate: 28th June 2016


Publication: Propeller ClubDate: 29th July 2016


Publication: Seafarers UKDate: 24th June 2016


Publication: Boating BusinessDate: 8th July 2016


Publication: IHS Fairplay InternationalDate: 8th July 2016


Publication: BBC News time line

Date: 23rd June 2016


Publication: ITV News GranadaDate: 23rd June 2016


Publication: Business DeskLiverpool City Region Report online

Date: 13th September 2016


FEATURING 4. COLLABORATE TO ACCUMULATE

8. FUNDING AND BUSINESS SUPPORT

11. MIND THE SKILLS GAP

13. AN INTERNATIONAL CITY

LIVERPOOL CITY REGIONTHEBUSINESSDESK.COM SPECIAL REPORT NORTH WEST 2016

Publication: Business Desk15-page PDF Liverpool CityRegion Report



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LIVERPOOLCITY REGIONSPECIAL REPORT NORTH WEST 2016

CONTENTS

SPONSOR FOREWORDBy Lisa Greenhalgh, COO at MSIF

COLLABORATING TO ACCUMULATEAs Prime Minister Theresa May sets out her stall, it is clear a rebalancing of the economy remains a priority - but what is Liverpool’s role in that agenda?

FUNDING AND BUSINESS SUPPORT Driving business growth across the city region means giving ready access to cash, expertise and advice.

CASE STUDY - Sovex Sovex is just one company to have benefited from MSIF loans.

MSIF GOES EVERGREENSince MSIF began in 1994, it has invested over £161m in 1,933 businesses.

MIND THE SKILLS GAP The deficit in skills among large sections of the workforce in the Liverpool City Region has been seen as a major impediment to investment.

PORT ACADEMY FOR LIVERPOOLA new £2.5m maritime training academy has officially opened.

INTERNATIONAL CITYThe Port of Liverpool’s status as a gateway to the world is on the way to becoming restored after decades of decline.

INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL FOR BUSINESSThe director of the International Festival for Business 2016 has hailed the event as an outstanding success as it provided a £265m uplift to the local economy.

The Liverpool city region is on a high, having successfully hosted its second International Festival for Business, attracting both national and international attention to Liverpool’s credentials as an excellent location for investment.

Indeed, in June, Lord Heseltine praised the “extraordinary renaissance” currently taking place in the city.

He said: “I know that the projections for this city are now unstoppable. It’s always a great privilege to be here and to learn something new every time.

“The extraordinary pace of change and the billions invested is a vote of confidence in the work of the public and private sectors in Liverpool and I hope that this investment continues in the future.” In terms of landmark developments, the Anfield regeneration scheme is moving forward, with the most recent announcement being a brand new high street next to the football ground, while construction work on the Super Port continues. The ambitious 30-year vision for the Mersey Waters Enterprise Zone is one of the city region’s most important regeneration and investment opportunities. Liverpool Waters is also one part of the wider ‘Atlantic Gateway’ project, which includes more than 50 contributory projects. From a big business perspective, the flotation of Newton-le-Willows-based robotic process automation software firm Blue Prism in March, giving it a market capitalisation of around £48.5m, underlines the region’s ability to nurture high growth entrepreneurial businesses. And in terms of governance, there continues to be a closer working relationship with Manchester, for so long considered a regional rival.

In August, Walton MP Steve Rotheram pledged to create a “North West powerhouse” after being selected as Labour’s candidate for Liverpool City Region’s first metro mayor elections next May.

In a speech after his win, Rotheram said he wants to work with Labour’s mayoral candidate in Greater Manchester, Liverpool-born Andy Burnham, to push for greater support for the region.

His mayoral campaign slogan was “No borough left behind”, stressing the importance of the city region’s five other authorities - Sefton, Knowsley, Wirral, St Helens and Halton.

Challenges remain, however, and there is a clear need for more start-up businesses, greater entrepreneurialism in the city region and greater interaction between employers, schools and colleges. TheBusinessdesk.com has been delighted to work with MSIF on this annual report on the city region. MSIF is a major investor in the businesses based in the Liverpool city region and like us is committed to supporting business growth here.

Joanne Birtwistle,Editor, TheBusinessDesk.com

FLYING HIGHEDITOR FOREWORD

Portland Tower, 53 Portland Street,

Manchester M1 3LF. Tel: 0161 238 4922

Commercial director: Lee-J Walker

[email protected]

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Editor: Joanne Birtwistle

[email protected]

Contributor: Nick Jackson

[email protected]

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John Hallchief executive, Professional Liverpool

COLLABORATE TO ACCUMULATE ROUND TABLE

As Prime Minister Theresa May sets out her stall, it is clear a rebalancing of the economy remains a priority - but what is Liverpool’s role in that agenda?

THE Northern Powerhouse “will not work without a strong Liverpool City Region at its heart.”

Those were the words of Liverpool City Region LEP chairman Robert Hough and summed up the overriding message to come out of a round table discussion hosted by funding provider the Merseyside Special Investment Fund (MSIF).

The event focused on how the city region could play a full part and benefit from opportunities presented by a so-called Northern Powerhouse – the mantle given by Chancellor George Osborne two years ago to the Government’s objective of rebalancing the UK economy.

Regardless of the positivity around Hough’s declaration there was serious discussion about what the Northern Powerhouse concept actually is and what it means to businesses and people within the Liverpool City Region.

John Hall, chief executive of professional services membership organisation Professional Liverpool,

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“ THE NORTHERN POWERHOUSE IS ABOUT BUILDING THOSE STRENGTHS COLLECTIVELY SO THE WHOLE IS BIGGER THAN THE SUM OF THE PARTS.”

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said: “It’s a great concept. But a big worry is that every time you listen to George Osborne or (Lord) Jim O’Neill (commercial secretary to the Treasury) it’s Manchester or Leeds.

“You very rarely hear, Liverpool, Hull or Newcastle. I think if they were really serious about it, really intending to make it happen, rather

than something virtual, HS3 (the prospective east-west rail linking the north) should be the priority over HS2 (the north-south link).”

It was then that Hough delivered his pro-Northern Powerhouse argument. He said: “Northern Powerhouse is a complex subject. It isn’t just about transport. It’s about capitalising on the strengths and the power of the north as a whole. It’s about skills, entrepreneurism, SMEs, all those issues, housing, special planning.

“Transport is one. HS2/HS3 has taken a dominant position in that conversation. But the wider position is much bigger. For me, the Northern Powerhouse is about scale, skills enhancement, clustering, agglomeration and building those strengths collectively so the whole is bigger than the sum of the parts.

“What will come out in a report are the key capabilities in the north. They are advanced manufacturing, health innovation, energy and digital. And Liverpool City Region is a microcosm of those strengths of the north, so I’m very positive indeed about economic opportunities.




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“The Northern Powerhouse will not work without a strong Liverpool City Region at its heart.”

The panel agreed that collaboration across the Northern Powerhouse region would be key to its success.

Hough continued: “The north is collaborating. For example, we

have the largest wind farm in Europe in the Irish Sea, just off the North Wales coast with £5bn of investment. Siemens is working hard with North Sea investors on similar opportunities.

“The Northern LEPs, particularly in Humber and in Liverpool, are working hard to get supply chains organised on both the North Sea and the Irish Sea. I think that’s an example of the Northern Powerhouse working particularly well.”

Shula Jones, project lead for the newly opened Port Academy, which will teach skills for the maritime sector, said: “I think the whole debate

THE ATTENDEES

Robert Hough,chairman, Liverpool LEP

Alex Marshall,group marketing

Stuart Taylor,director, Ena Shaw

Lisa Greenhalgh,

Shulah Jones,project lead,

Ian McCarthy,festival director, IFB2016

Nik Ellis,

Business Services and Laird Assessors

Michele Dematteis,former managing director, Sovex

John Hall,chief executive, Professional Liverpool

John Cater,vice chancellor,

Paul Humphray,investment director,

Joanne Birtwistle,editor, TheBusinessDesk.com [event chair]

CONTENTS NEXTPREV

“ THE WHOLE DEBATE IS FLAGGING UP COLLABORATION, INCLUDING COLLABORATIVELY LOOKING FOR FUNDING TO RESPOND TO OPPORTUNITIES.”

around the Northern Powerhouse is flagging up collaboration, including collaboratively looking for funding to respond to opportunities which are coming our way.

“It’s about coming together. I know that sounds very worthy, but we’re on the front line in further education, and if we don’t

work collectively with others then we can’t respond to the huge opportunities that are out there for us.”

John Cater, vice chancellor of Edge Hill University, said that if Manchester was the driver of the Northern Powerhouse it was important to ask what it does and doesn’t have.

He said: “It doesn’t have offshore wind and it doesn’t have automotive which is in either Liverpool or the North East. So by collaborating, in some senses it is a beneficial partner.

“I’d be quite interested to see if there

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MIND THE SKILLS GAPThe deficit in skills among large sections of the workforce in the Liverpool City Region has been seen as a major impediment to investment.

LIVERPOOL’S skills deficit is linked to the fact that so many are “generationally unemployed”, according to Robert Hough, chairman of Liverpool LEP, who spoke at the event supported by MSIF of the need to tackle the “underbelly of deprivation” to ensure the success of the Northern Powerhouse.

Liverpool’s economy has historically been closely linked to the docks. As England’s second largest port, after London, it played a pivotal role in transatlantic trade, as well as that with Ireland.

The growth of containerisation resulted in a massive decline in employment in the docks, with a major multiplier effect, resulting in Liverpool being the only English city

whose population actually declined after WWII.

Hough pointed to areas like Bootle, Knowsley and Birkenhead, which have been long associated with port employment.

“Graduate retention rates are respectable, but we do need to improve them further, so it is a virtuous circle, so that the economy can grow,” he said.

The role of local universities and colleges is central in addressing the skills deficit.

Shulah Jones, project lead for Port Academy Liverpool and head of business strategy at Hugh Baird College in Bootle, said: “Over the last couple of decades you mention the word Bootle and people think deprivation – it’s a no-go area.

“ THE ROLE OF LOCAL UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES IS CENTRAL IN ADDRESSING THE SKILLS DEFICIT.”

“But when you look, it’s actually come from a very proud place. It was a very wealthy town in its day. It was actually a place where a lot of people would’ve gone for their holidays and day trips. We have a part play in terms of reshaping our whole community with our aspirations.

“The reason we created Port Academy Liverpool [see page 12] was people came to us and said you’re the nearest college and this is an opportunity which won’t come round again for us.

“I go to many meetings with Job Centre Plus and the council and there’s a feeling I’m getting that people are just sitting waiting for someone to tell them ‘this is what you’re going to do’.

Robert Houghchairman, Liverpool LEP

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Shulah Jones

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“Peel Ports isn’t going to come to us and say this is exactly what you need to be doing now to create these jobs and this is what we’ll do to help you.

“We’ve got to be proactive and respond to the opportunities, not the other way around. I sometimes think I sound like a maritime evangelist.

One of the roles I think we have to do is sell that dream – the potential reality of what is to come to our businesses, not just to our students.”

A new £2.5m maritime training academy has officially opened.

Hugh Baird College, Bootle, launched the Port Academy Liverpool (PAL) in June, with some 200 guests from across the UK representing the maritime industry, Merchant Navy, Royal Navy – both past and present - and charitable trusts.

Port Academy Liverpool will provide academic, technical training and enrichment courses for students aged from 14 years looking to pursue a career in all areas of the maritime sector. The first students will be welcomed for the start of term in early September 2016.

A 7.5-ton Naval anchor, refurbished by Cammell Laird, was unveiled at the ceremony as a permanent public marker at the Academy’s entrance to its newly upgraded and customised premises.

The Academy’s location is home to much of the Port of Liverpool’s world famous docks and was the homeport for the legendary Capt Johnnie Walker and his second escort and support

groups of warships, the great hero of the Battle of the Atlantic 1939-45.

Shulah Jones, Port Academy Liverpool head of business strategy and project director, said the new facility will be an umbrella to three sub-brands: onshore, offshore and onboard, for both the Merchant Navy and Royal Navy. Career prospects for students will range from cruise liner hospitality to marine engineering.

She said Hugh Baird College of Further Education believes that it is the only education establishment engaging in this way with the maritime sector, which is worth £11-12bn to the UK economy.

“The opening of Port Academy Liverpool is a great day for not only Bootle, but the whole of Liverpool and Merseyside,” said Jones.

“This is also a far-reaching initiative which will benefit the entire UK’s maritime sector. Our aspiration, supported by our maritime partners, is that Port Academy Liverpool will become a beacon of educational excellence, providing first-class

academic and technical training from the ages of 14 years to adulthood.

“The maritime sector is part of the DNA of Bootle and the Liverpool City Region and through the creation of Port Academy Liverpool we aim to provide training and enrichment opportunities for all. One example is the huge demand for marine engineers which we can help fill in the longer term.”

Robert Hough, chair of Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership said: “As one of the LEPs Key Growth sectors the Superport initiative presents an opportunity to place the port and surrounding logistics infrastructure at the heart of business in the UK – creating a Global Freight & Logistics Hub for Northern UK and Ireland.

“Our ambition now is to help grow the sector – to do this we need to focus on our people and equip them with the skills, aptitude and ability to compete not only locally but in the global market. Having a Port Academy specialising in maritime operations and logistics will help us achieve this.”

CONTENTS NEXTPREV12.

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port academy cuttings 09.16

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